Seymour Hall will be seen no more

End draws near for unusual NSU building

End draws near for unusual NSU building

March 05, 2008|By Russ Keen, American News Writer

One of the oddest buildings on the campus of Northern State University in Aberdeen is about to meet its end. “Obsolescence,” NSU President Patrick Schloss said Tuesday as the reason Seymour Hall - with all its narrow, maze-like hallways, winding staircases and tiny rooms - is slated for demolition. The exterior of the brick building, completed in 1940, is unusual as well. Seymour has four wings arranged in almost a square, except for a gap on the southwest side. And on the north side, the original architecture called for another gap through the first floor, creating an outdoor walkway that passes under the second floor. But it's so much more than brick and mortar, Schloss said. It's like retiring a battleship, he said, referring to all the memories held by students who lived there when it was a dormitory, like sailors who served on a ship. Ghosts?: Also, an apartment on Seymour's first floor was the mandatory home for college presidents from 1945 until the mid-1960s. Maybe some of them still hang around there in some form. NSU's newspaper office was in Seymour at one time, next to what used to be the president's quarters. Some newspaper staff members reported hearing ghosts in the apartment area, said Brenda Dreyer, director of university relations at NSU. The campus has a surplus of space right now, Schloss said. Authorities considered hanging on to Seymour for possible future use, but maintaining the empty building for the next three years would cost almost $1 million, he said. Until late last year, Seymour housed faculty offices for the Department of Arts and Sciences, a couple of small classrooms and the NSU Reading Clinic. The offices have moved to the university's new Technology Center, and the clinic is now in the Gerber Building, which is home to the NSU's Department of Education. Seymour has been vacant since the end of December. The 2008 South Dakota Legislature approved $115,000 for its demolition, including asbestos removal. No demolition date is set; bids must be advertised and awarded first. Mark Bartusis, an NSU history professor and author of a history book about the university, said it's a shame to see Seymour Hall demolished. He said the building, a solid structure, has a lot of character. "I understand the reasons, but it's still a shame," he said. The future: A memorial will likely go up at the site, honoring the building and the students who lived there, Schloss said. It is named after Arthur Seymour, a Northern history professor from 1911 to 1936. He was also vice president and acting president at one time. The Campus Space and Facilities Committee will study the site where Seymour stands and make a recommendation as to what should be done with it. Talk around campus points to green space as a popular option, Schloss said, but that doesn't mean that's what the committee will recommend. Plans are being developed to sell bricks from Seymour. Seymour was completed in 1940 as a Public Works Administration project under the presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Dreyer said. Its original use was a men's residence hall, a bookstore and an infirmary. It later was used as a women's residence hall, among other uses, Bartusis said. The 23,047-square-foot facility was renovated in 1969. A few years ago, campus officials considered renovating Seymour into a technology center, but decided the building couldn't accommodate contemporary classrooms and offices. Artifacts: Not all will be lost, however. The bronze plaques inside Seymour, some of its original art deco light fixtures and other artifacts will be archived on campus, Schloss said. As for those narrow halls and stairways, years ago perhaps two people easily passed along them without bumping into each other. After all, people are wider nowadays, he said. The standard auditorium seat is built for a 22-inch human bottom these days, he said, while back in the days of Seymour's glory, auditorium seats were built for 17-inch rears. City Editor Anita Meyer contributed to this report.